Search the most comprehensive database of interviews and book signings from Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and the rest of Team Jordan.
Q: I am an avid reader of author Ayn Rand. A hero in her novel The Fountainhead matches Rand's physical description exactly. Coincidence?
A: Coincidence--I'm afraid I haven't read Ayn Rand since college.
Q: I like the fact that the main characters are a little unsure of themselves and how to proceed in their world, particularly Rand. Instead, the traditional "superhuman" is Lan, who plays a background role thus far. Will we see more of him?
A: Yes, some more.
Q: One of the Forsaken once said of the current Aes Sedai, "They bind themselves like criminals." Was the Forsaken reffering to the Oath Rod?
A: Read And Find Out! (He twirls his moustache maniacally.)
Q: Why introduce a somewhat important character like Cadsuane so late in the series? Is the fact that it seems a little odd supposed to be a clue?
A: She's introduced late in the series because this is the place where she was supposed to come in. I didn't expect her to have a part earlier in the series--there was nothing for her to do! We introduce no character before her time. With apologies to Orson Welles.
Q: Have you ever put your own personality in one of your characters, or do you liken yourself to one of your characters?
A: Well, I expect there's a bit of me in all of the male characters. My secretary thinks that I am Mat. My wife thinks I'm Loial. Other people have said they detected me in other characters, but I think it's just a bit of me in all of the male characters. I'm not sure how I could have written them otherwise.
Q: Do you have a favorite character? If so whom, and how do you avoid doing bad things to those you "love"?
A: One, my favorite character is always the one I am writing at that moment, even when I'm writing one of the Forsaken or Padan Fain. I always try to get into that character's skin, so that I can write about that character with success as far as doing things to characters I like, well, if the story calls for bad things to happen, so shall it be. we do not all make it to the end of the road, however good or fair.
Q: A follow up to the previous Beidomon Question: Is he somewhere in the current age?
A: Read And Find Out.
Q: Speaking of illustrations, do you feel the cover illustrations to your books accurately reflex your characters and settings?
A: Probably as well as they could do without me doing the drawings. There is no way that someone else can do an illustration that gives exactly the image that is in my head given the limits on how much description I can give Daryl Sweet when he's doing his cover paintings, he's doing a good job. The only way to do it better is do it myself, and I have no skill there!
Q: Do you draw upon your military education for your battles or from general knowledge?
A: From both, actually.
Q: I'd like to thank you for your wonderful series. It has provided me with many hundreds of hours of entertainment at home and at work. Are there any other fantasy authors or titles that you are particularly fond of?
A: The only time I re-read is to check on something when I have to make sure of exactly what I said In a certain circumstance about a certain character or incident. As far as the people I read, there are far too many to list Tad Williams, barry Hughhart, Ray Feist, it could be a very long list, but we'd be here quite a time listing authors.
Q: Do you ever get impatient?
A: I sometimes feel impatience but I am trying to maintain the same pace, making great effort to maintain that pace, to go neither faster nor slower than I have gone before.
Q: Of the many themes that occur throughout your books, which do you consider the most important?
A: I think that's for the reader to decide. I like to put things out there and let the readers absorb them as they will. One of the things that has happened that I rather enjoyed was listening to some people talk as they waited for me to sign books they were discussing the books, then change the subject, and, without meaning to, were discussing what I consider one of the subjects of the books that was very gratifying.
Q: Why the change of pace from book to book?
A: It covered a shorter period of time, but in LORD OF CHAOS and A CROWN OF SWORDS there were a great many things that happen in a short time that made it necessary to have the books, if not slower paced from the reader's point of view, slower as far as the chronology is concerned.
Q: I was wondering if you accept fan mail if so, how can I write to you? Also, how many books long do you think this series will end up being? I have no objections to it being long.
A: I like recieving fan mail! Write care of TOR books,175 Fifth Avenue, NY NY 10010. They forward fan mail to me at fairly regular intervals. There will be a few more books, but not too many.
Q: How did you plan the prophecies in the books?
A: Well, it is a matter of knowing what I wanted to happen in the story, and how I wanted the story to go, and placing prophecies that would fortell these events sometimes in very shadowy ways. As far as structuring prophecies for your own work, I think you should do it however you want to do it; it's the only way you can!
Q: How did you meet Harriet?
A: Well, I met my wife --the actual story is very long and complicated--but I met her because she had come back to Charleston to set up her own publishing company and I was in the process of quitting my engineering job to write. As far as the ice water, no, she has never poured ice water over my head, but she has made motions toward my belly button with a paring knife. She says this is wholly unconscious. I have my doubts.
Q: I've heard that there is going to be a Wheel of Time computer game . How much are you involved in this (if it's true), and how do you feel about a game based on your work?
A: Well, it's true, it's in the works from Legend Entertainment. I'm involved to the extent that I told them I would not accept the first scenario they gave me. I told them there were certain things I wanted done in the game, such as being able to play as a female character, multiple solutions to problems, being able to get through segments without solving all the problems and they're working on it. Apparently Glenn Dahlgren, who is designing the game, is very much in agreement with me on these things.
Q: Are there limits to the Dark One's power besides inability to reincarnate balefired people, and his imprisonment?
A: Read And Find Out! Obviously, there are some limits or he simply would have ripped the prison open and done as he wanted to do.
Q: Is Moiraine well and truly dead? or could her and Mierin/Lanfear reappear at some later venue?
A: With an absolutely powerful character, there is no story, or at least the story goes "it shall be as I will it to be, " he said, and so it was the end. That's the whole story. Read And Find Out!
Q: I was wondering where you came up with the "Old Tongue" and the Aiel language? Are there preset rules to them and is it a functioning language? Or do you just have a set of words that you devised and insert when needed?
A: It's a functioning language in that I have developed a basic grammar and syntax, and have a vocabulary list which I have devised, Some from Gaelic of course, but also from languages less often used -Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. I try to follow these rules that I've set up but occasionally I realize I have to invent a new rule because I'm doing something I've never done before but it all follows the grammar I've devised. As far as the Aiel that I've devised as a culture they have bits of Apache, bits of Beduin, bits that are simply mine.